And, now we wait . . .

As Emma Watson said in the Harry Potter movie, "and now we wait."  We are waiting for flyable weather.  Big airplanes do not have a problem but little ones do since they do not weigh very much are really subject to the effects of winds.

I now have three airplanes ready to go.  The Escapade, a Big Stik and the old AeroBat.  The AeroBat needs a little repair work, the covering is coming off in spots.  I have to put it back on or add a new piece of MonoKote to it.  It really is an old airplane and is showing the effects of age along with the usage by me.  The Stik is also showing its age.  Many repaired cracks.  It is getting heavier due to all the epoxy cement used to fix her up and keep her flying.

The Escapade on the other hand is new, thus pristine.  It too will soon show that it has been flown.  But until then, it sits looking pretty.

Come on wind, stop!

Further Along . . .

I have servos plugged into a Hitech Six Channel 2.4 Gigahertz Optima that matches my Aurora Transmitter (aka Tranny).  I have to enter the model and bind the receiver to the transmitter.

Binding means the tranny only recognizes that receiver.  There are two different process for binding, one is named the Normal Mode.  The other way is known as the Scan Mode.  I only use the Scan Mode.

These new systems use a channel hopping process where some fixed number of channels are use, something like 20 or so channels.  Thus the tranny is moving every few milliseconds to a new channel.  In the Normal Mode those channels are more or less preselected and used over and over again.  The difference lies in that the Scan Mode actually goes out and checks to make sure no other transmitter is using that frequency.  That way, you are assured no one else is on the channel you are about to use.

The 2.4 Gigahertz frequency is very very broad but I suspect we are only using a small portion of that band in all our 2.4 Gigahertz equipment regardless of manufacturer.  That means even though there are literally millions of channels to use, we are really sticking on one area  in that wide open band.  After all the electronics is not that broad in band operations and thus one is kind of restricted to that area of say a million or so frequencies in that band instead of the hundreds of millions bands available.  Thus Hitech has essentially said, even though there is a very broad spectrum of frequencies to use, we are not really doing that.  So the Scan Mode is safer in that no one else will be in that frequency with you.  So in the Scan Mode the tranny is looking ahead and making sure you will not have a problem.

The different manufacturers are using different frequency hopping techniques unique to their equipment.  But if you just happen to bump into someone on that frequency their equipment may cause you some interference.  It is not likely and highly remote but not so remote as not to happen due to the restraints of the equipment to use the entire band.

No other brand of 2.4 Giga Hertz has a scan mode.  In the last couple of years I have not had any interference, no loss of aircraft due to signal interruption, or intermittent responses.  I had a lot of problems with JR's Spektrum DSM2 system (Note Spektrum is in the process of abandoning the SM2 system and move toward Futaba's rapid frequency hopping system).  I have had no problems since I acquired the Hitech Aurora tranny.  BTW way JR stands for Japan Radio, probably second to Futaba in the RC world.  Both are generally very good equipment, but JR's rush to get the lead in the 2.4 Giga Hertz world led to a lot of garbage and problems.  I personally think JR now is junk, especially the Spektrum brand.

Spektrum cost be a couple of airplanes.  I would not even give the stuff away, but relinquished when a friend I respect a great deal asked for it.  So I gave him the stuff.  He is a happy camper.

Anyway off to binding now.

Poking Along . . .

I can not fly, the weather is not cooperating in that way for me.  Today, the winds are down but the rain is up.  Well the rain is over and the wind has returned.  We need the moisture so that is a good thing but it leaves me with the continuing saga of the Escapade model airplane.

I had installed a servo, a TS-69, a ball bearing servo only to find it was not working correctly.  I over hauled the gear train as I found a couple of teeth missing in the nylon gears.  The servo has a small three pole motor that drives the gear train.  The gear train is composed of five gears.  They are arranged on three axles and really can only be put together one way, so it is not a big deal to replace one or all them.  The last gear is larger and has a splined shaft that sticks out of the case.  That is where one installs the servo arm that will move back and forth about 180 degrees of movement. 

So I got the gears installed and decided to check things out with my small handy dandy servo checker.   Actually I have two of them, one American made and one from China.  The Chinese one has a nice container and knob to turn along with a tiny little button switch.  It is a $7 bargain.   The American one is compose of three switches and two LEDs, one green and one red.   Both of the checkers require power of four double A batteries that plug in to a three pin port.  So I use the same power set for both of them.

I set it up and plugged in the servo and the American one came one with a red and green light, that is not good.  I got the servo to swing the arm from extreme to extreme but it would not stop in the middle (or as we say will not center). Different switches led to  different red light conditions meaning things are not working correctly.  So then I tried the Chinese checker and got similar results (well duh?).  So that made the servo a no go device  - junk box special.

I pulled out another old servo and checked it.  It worked just fine, no red lights, etc.  But the case was damaged.  Humm, I thought, maybe I can do some cross matching, old servo with new case.  It worked.  Checked it out after swapping gears, and case tops, and it worked just fine.  It is in the throttle application, so there is no great risk in using it.  It is now installed.

Then I took on the rudder servo.  The  original installer had used collets on the ends of the servo arms to attach the control rods.  That is a  no no, collects come lose and one loses control of the airplane.  You make a 90 degree bend and put the end up through the servo arm and use a nylon keeper to hold the rod on the servo arm.  Simple but no screws to come lose, hence much more reliable.  Even if the nylon keeper comes off, the configuration tends to keep the rod installed, so that makes it safer.

I had to remove the control rod, make the bend and reinstall same.  It is just time consuming but has to be done.  All of that is done.  Now to install the control rod to the engine carburetter or carb  Got to install a battery and the receiver and check out the trim.  After that I have to do weight and balance, that is make sure the center of gravity is in the right place.  Not hard but has to be done out of balanced aircraft can fly but usually are not controllable at low speeds such as during landing.

The engine change led to a heavier engine although a bigger more powerful engine.  I may have to add some lead to the back end to balance the machine with that heavy engine up front.

Oh the things you must do to get it to fly right.  But that is the fun of it all.  Soon it will be a goer.

Oh,yes, why am I writing this.  It is to give my eye sight and back a rest.  Close work bent over a work bench in the garage.

Repairs . . .

We had the Weatherford AeroModelers Society's (aka WAMS) swap meet last weekend.  As usual I was a participant in set and take down of the facilities.  I judged it to be successful though maybe in the moderate category since participation is down.  We think it is an a economy thing, folks do not have the extra money to spend on their hobbies.

I purchased a complete looking airplane from a friend.  After getting it home, I discovered in was incomplete so to speak.  That is it need a battery but that was kind of expected.  It did not have a fuel tank installed and I can do that easily.  It was also missing a servo and the other servos were a motley crew so to speak, three different kinds and models.  I had to replace two of them.  I had to make a little deck for the missing servo and of course install it too.  I also had to make a deck for the fuel tank to sit on and glue that in place.  Got most of that done.

I found the two installed servos were not properly set up.  So I have to rework those areas too.  I had to remove the engine, a suspect MDS engine, to set up the fuel tank.  In doing so, I discoverer the throat where the carburettor sits is cracked.  I had to remove the carb and do a seal job on that area or I would be doomed with engine problems.  Then I discovered the engine, the MDS, was not a .48 but a .40, a little anemic for the model.

MDS is a Russian engine that is no longer imported, it has such a bad reputation.  It is plagued with carb problems though once fixed turned out to be good engines.  Some say MDS stands for "many dead stick" landings meaning the engine would quit in mid air.  So I have reached the conclusion to replace the engine.  Not to worry, I have lots of engines, and now must make a decision on which one to use.

The airplane is quite a good looking machine.  It has never been flown.  So I have to do the weight and balance on it, program the transmitter to operate it (no big deal).  But all those no big deals and easily fixed areas take time and effort to correct.

Fortunately, Spring winds, March winds, have put flying on standby until things calm down.  We have had days with winds that get up to 20 to 25 miles per hour, just to much to handle.  It is easy to fly in the high winds but landing is very difficult.  Wind close to the ground is bumpy, inconsistent and rough.  That does not leave much room to correct the flight and often results in a bad or no landing.  Bad things happen.  So one restrains one's desires to fly and goes to fixing and repairing.  We call build days.

Warm Fuzzy Data . . .

Yep, warm fuzzy data.  There is a post on Haynesville Shale Forum about Austin Chalk and how much oil is in the formation, recoverable oil, gas and gas liquids (aka "drip gas").  Gas liquids are probably the most valuable stuff, followed by oil and then gas.  Gas is so plentiful now days, it is now worth much.  It says there are 19 or so billion barrels of oil and gas liquids to be had.  Makes your eyes light up.

The warm fuzzy data says there is a lot of oil in the Austin Chalk formation.  Getting to it is another matter.  It not appears that the LaCour #43 is shut down.  That is not to say it is abandoned or shut in, it is not reporting any production and that is a bad indication.  Anadarko, the production company, spent a lot of money on drilling that well and the Edenburg well too.  LaCour #43 produced  sporadically for a year or so with rapid declines from its initial testing.  Apparently the Edenburg well, across the Atchafalaya River from McCrea in Pointe Coupee was an all out dry hole.

So it appears Anadarko took its toys and went else where to play.  It seem to be doing okay in Vernon Parish.  Maybe they will learn how to get the wells to produce minerals.  There is a lot of speculation on the LaCour and Endenburg well's low or non-performance.  Some seem to think that the long laterals are collasping and cutting off production.  There are techniques such as packing the laterals with sand and gravel to support the structure, yet allow the minerals to perculate out of the well.  Pryme, an Australian Exploration Company,  has resorted to shorter laterals and slotted casings.  If that should work, then we have a better grasp on getting the stuff out of the ground.

The other interesting geology is the different formations.  North of the Mississippi River as it flows through the upper boundaries of Pointe Coupee along the "Coast of Pointe Coupee" the formations of interest in West Feleciana Parish is the Tuscaloose Marine Shale (TMS).  Yet on the South side of the river in Pointe Coupee Parish the formation of interest is Austin Chalk which is above the TMS. 

Shale is harder than chalk as a general case.  Chalk seems to have natural fractures in it to collect the oil and gas.  Shale traps the gas and oil but does not have the same natural fractures found in the Austin Chalk formation.  Shale has to be "fracked" or fractured to open up cracks and crevices to allow the minerals to escape.  There is plenty of TMS in Pointe Coupee Parish but it is further down and takes more money to drill while the Austin Chalk is a rich formation higher up and thus less expensive to drill.

This all brings us to "dips."  The Lower Cretaceous formation that includes TMS, AC etc. is basically the ancient edge of the Gulf of Mexico.  Pointe Coupee deep gas is found along the "down dip" of the formation.  That is pretty deep stuff, like 20,000 feet down from the surface.  Fields like Moore-Sams, Pointe Coupee, Morganza and Judge Digby (Parlange Plantation/Wurtelle area) fields are all down dip locations. The edge of the Edward's Shelf kind of area.  We out on Pointe Coupee region are above the edge or down dip of the Edwards Shelf, ergo the interest in Austin Chalk formation.  We are on edge but not in the zone kind of thing.

Austin Chalk is above TMS and TMS is above the Tuscaloosa Trend.  There are formations above that like the Moncref formation.  Livonia and Frisco Fields are in those zones and not as deep.  I suspect that formation is full of traps that capture the minerals, principally oil.  Not being a Geologist, I can only guess and surmise.

So the future for Pointe Coupee is bright but possibly a very long way off.  It may not occur in my life time.  Pity but we just have to poke along and accept lease money until somebody figures out how to get the minerals unlocked and can raise them to the surface.

March Half Gone . . .

Let's see, the plantation meeting is done.  Birthday is passed and I am still kicking.  Taxes filed - efiled this year, a first; a new Pope, Francis I and St Patty's day is over.  And March is only about a little over a half done.  Things are ahappening left and right.

Willow trees are green now, Oak's especially the Red Oaks are putting on leaves.  The Post Oaks, much slower are thickening up and soon will be leafing out.  Then we will have Oak bloom season, the oak worms all over the place.  The air will literally be yellow.  Weeds are starting up too.

Grass is showing life.  Temperatures are gradually rising and even Fritz is out already.  It was a warm but somewhat dry winter.  We got about 1/3 less than normal rain fall, that could not bode well for this almost semiarid location.  If the lakes are low, as they are, the water rationing will be on hand again.  Heard on the radio all the regional lakes are well below their norms for this time of year.

Winds are up, well duh, it is March.  But that means less flying of RC planes until things kinda smooth out.

Spring is sprung. 

The Leak Is Fixed . . .

The leak is fixed.  Got a real warm day the very next day.  The temperature got to 82 degrees, quite warm for this time of year.  South wind but really dry and the evidence of the leak fast disappeared.

The cause of the leak is a bad glue.  The connection is PVC and the glue was given to me (we paid for it) by our neighbor.  He got all the irrigation supplies at wholesale prices.  He used to be in the irrigation business here in Weatherford.  It turns out the glue is just no good.  It does not adhere and with time the joint just comes lose. 

So I dug it up, found where it located in the line.  Had to turn on the water to find the leak and at first it just dribbled.  Then it really blew out.  Shut the water off and preceded to bail out the hole.  I had to clean off the joint.  I used a large pair of water pump pliers to pull the joint apart.  Cleaned it up and used a bit of emery paper to dress up the joint.  Then I applied some new glue.  Blue stuff this time around. 

I dabbed up the joint on both sides, female side and the male side and shoved them together.  I let it dry for three or four hours just to make sure it had a good bond and would stay in place.  Sure enough, it did not leak and I back filled the hole.  Leak is done!

It is the second one to occur in that system.  I installed that line or set of sprinklers in the back yard some 5 years ago.  This is the second joint to come loose.  I am sure in time more of them will occur.  Just have to wait and see. 

The well ran well.  No pun intended.  But it pumped out a ton of water.  Sometimes that is healthy for the well.

As I have always said that lawn irrigation systems are constant maintenance.

Leak

A whopper of a leak.   A break in the irrigation line led to a massive water leak.  Flooded our yard in the back, formed a little lake, and watered our neighbors back yards.  Probably was running down the street for all I know.   At least it is well water and not a costly city water leak.

Our neighbor shut off the water.  Judie turned it on, then off again.  I could see the source, so it is muck it out and fix it today.  Fortunately, it is to get to 89 degrees and windy (which means it will dry out our neighbors yards Post Haste).  That is a good thing for once regarding the spring winds.  No flying but fixing is on tap.

I am waiting for the temperature to get up to a reasonable level to start.  It is going to be messy but necessary work.  Double ugh.

Always something to do in the yard, or not do.  Not so sure which or when.  But always something going on or not going on when it should or shouldn't.